Archive for October, 2010

One of a coach’s greatest qualities is good instincts about people. What motivates them, inspires them, and makes them tick? Great coaching leaders have an uncanny and almost intuitive way of knowing what makes people tick. Part of the way they understand what motivates people is by taking time to get to know them, ask questions, and uncover their desires and ambitions. They know when to use that information in just the right moment to create outstanding results.

Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach of the Green Bay Packers for eight years, was a master at this. One of his players, Jerry Kramer, an All-Star guard, tells the following story:

In one of the practice sessions early in his career, Kramer missed his blocking assignment on a play. On the very next play he jumped offside. He said, “Lombardi really jumped on me and reamed me out; he had me feeling awful! I felt like smacking him in the mouth!”

“I was in the locker room after practice, ready to hang it up and do something else. Vince came up to me and patted me on the back and said, ‘Son, don’t you know that someday you’ll be the best guard in this league?’ Those words lit a fire!“

This little vignette is a great lesson for aspiring coaching leaders. Lombardi knew at that moment on the field that Kramer needed a swift kick in the pants. He also had the instinct to know that Kramer was in need of a pat on the back in the locker room.

Had Vince Lombardi not had that intuition about Jerry Kramer, one of the greatest guards of all time may have gone down a different road!

Posted by Pete Walsh

Monday, October 25th, 2010

Comments Off on Coaching Leader Quality 3 – Good Instincts About What Motivates People

At the core of great coaching is a fundamental desire to help people grow. Coaching leaders derive a real sense of pride and accomplishment when their team members overcome obstacles, master skills and succeed.

If for any reason you are simply trying to get the most out of people to make money, I would suggest that coaching is not the right leadership approach for you. I believe that when we help people grow and produce at a high level, the financial success will follow.

People are not going to stretch nor are they going to go the extra mile unless they really believe that you care about them. Remember the old saying, “People don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care!” This is so true in coaching. If you do not have a genuine care for others, people are not going to give you their best effort.

Tamara Woodbury speaks about the “masculine and feminine archetypes” and the need in the business world to find the best of both of those types. I believe the coaching leader is the perfect combination of the two.

While there are various interpretations of the male and female archetypes, I like to boil it down to a simple comparison. The masculine archetype is typically about conquering and dominating. The feminine archetype is about nurturing, sustainability and community.

Coaching leaders are strong and demanding, yet want to see their team members grow, thrive and reach their potential. The coaching leader has an almost parental relationship with their coachees.

Trust is where “the rubber meets the road” in coaching. It is very similar to how much you care about people. But if people do not trust you they are not going to listen to you, and they will not have a willingness to go “all out” to stretch them-selves. Great coaching leaders establish long-term relationships built on trust. Trust is built through being your word, having actions aligned with stated values, and being impeccable about all that you do.

The delicate thing about trust is that it can take years to build and seconds to destroy. Trust is like the capital you have built that you use every day to run your business. Without trust, you are done, so be very careful about protecting it!

Remember the cultural context of cynicism for leaders. John Q. Public has been burned a time or two, so I encourage everyone to be impeccable as a coaching leader. If you happen to trip and make a mistake, clean it up quickly and be honest about it.